The aftermath of the Tolaga Bay storm last June, which Dame Anne Salmond says highlighted New Zealand's poor forestry practices. File picture by Liam Clayton
The aftermath of the Tolaga Bay storm last June, which Dame Anne Salmond says highlighted New Zealand's poor forestry practices. File picture by Liam Clayton
Ten East Coast forestry companies charged with causing flood-borne debris damage in Tolaga Bay and surrounding areas have all entered not-guilty pleas in the Gisborne District Court.
It is the first time the companies have appeared in court since being charged by the Gisborne District Council with breaching their resourceconsent conditions.
An estimated 1,000,000 tonnes of logs and debris was left strewn on properties and roads during two bouts of heavy rainfall in June last year.
Tolaga Bay was the worst hit and three companies that operate there - Hikurangi Forest Farms, Ernslaw One and PF Olsen - were among the ten charged, RNZ reported.
The other companies are DNS Forest Products, South Pacific Forestry Holdings, Permanent Forestry, A&R Logging, Logic Forest Solutions, Juken New Zealand and Timbergrow Limited.
Judge Warren Cathcart denied requests from all the companies for more time to be given to consider thousands of pages of evidence from the council relating to the charges, before they entered a plea.
Gisborne District Council lawyer Adam Hopkinson argued the companies were given the documents in February and had plenty of time to consider them, and Judge Cathcart agreed.
The companies will reappear in court in August. - Radio New Zealand
